Health Blogs

Daily Paleo Menu

Awhile back, I tried posting menu ideas for a days worth of meals. I’m going to resurrect these every now and then. Just so you know, these are slightly more difficult for me to do because I am not a food blogger. I am not cooking a meal in the morning with ideal lighting and creating the most perfect picture. These are meals we actually eat. In fact, the plate I photograph is usually my own, and I snap the picture before I take it to the table to eat it.

Just like everything on this blog, this is real life, pretty pictures and perfectly cooked eggs are not always a part of real life. Let’s jump in!

I titled this post differently than the Gluten Free Menus I’ve posted in the past (1, 2, 3, 4). My diet has changed since I last posted those menus in Summer 2017. I am now eating a Paleo diet, not just gluten free. I do not eat any grains (wheat, corn, oats, barley, millet, etc.), diary, legumes, or white potatoes. These Daily Paleo Menus will reflect all of these restrictions, and yet, you will see varied, delicious food! There is so much awesome food out there! Restrictions do not need to steal your flavors or variety!

Another good note, is that my whole family is eating the same meal, kids included. I do not make them anything special. Yes, sometimes they say they don’t like something (kale most recently) but actually they do! I usually tell them something like, “We don’t always like the food placed in front of us, but God has provided it for us. It is nutritious. We will eat it, even if we don’t like it.” My kids are used to this explanation, and that is usually the end of the discussion.

I don’t expect your kids to accept an odd food right off the bat, but keep at it! They will get used to it, and they will learn that all food is delicious when prepared properly. In our house, Dan and I like to say there is no food we don’t like, only food we haven’t had prepared properly. 🙂

On to today’s menu!

Breakfast – Butternut Squash & Sausage Hash with Eggs

This is one of my favorite Paleo breakfasts. I plan on it every time I menu plan. It is a butternut squash and sausage hash topped with over medium eggs. I got the recipe from Danielle Walker’s cookbook Meals Made Simple. She does not have it on her website, and since I alter it, I will share it here.

1 pound of breakfast sausage

1T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 butternut squash, cubed

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 apple, chopped

2-3 cups of kale, chopped small

2 eggs per person

Brown sausage in large skillet then remove from pan and set aside. Add olive oil to pan and saute onions until beginning to brown. Add butternut squash, salt, pepper, and sage. Cover and cook, stirring every couple minutes. Cook until squash is soft. Stir in apple. Cook un-covered a couple minute until apples just start to soften. Stir in sausage and kale. Cook until all is hot and kale is to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper as necessary. Remove from heat.

Cook eggs as you like. We prefer this dish with “dippy eggs,” AKA eggs over medium.

Serve in bowls topped with eggs.

Lunch – Hodge-Podge Leftovers

This meal is a testament that you are likely never truly out of food. You can put a whole, nutritious meal together on very little!

I made a hash with 1 pound of chorizo I had in the freezer and whatever veggies I had in the fridge: zucchini and sweet potato. We wrapped that in Romaine lettuce and had carrot fries on the side.

These carrot fries are my kid’s favorite, by the way. My youngest can eat his body weight in them! I skip the bacon when I make these, and if I have bacon fat on hand, I will use that in place of the oil.

Dinner – Chicken Curry over Cauliflower Rice

This is another favorite of ours. Both recipes, the curry and the cauliflower rice, come from Danielle Walker’s Meals Made Simple cookbook. This is a crock-pot recipe, so I schedule this meal on day I will be busy during the afternoon with no time to prepare dinner.

This cookbook is fantastic. I highly recommend you get a copy if you are trying to eat Paleo. This is a similar recipe on her website for the chicken curry. This is a similar recipe for the cauliflower rice, just leave out the cherries and herbs for a more “plain” rice.

A whole day of nutritious, whole food, Paleo meals…it can be done! What are your tips for quick or easy lunches, particularly when the regulars are gone? What is your go-to when it’s almost grocery shopping day?